Chicago area officials aim to do more to reduce opioid overdose deaths
CHICAGO (CBS) – More people die from opioid overdoses in Cook County than shootings and car accidents combined.
County and community leaders hope to raise awareness about the issue.
"We're still responding to this problem like we just found out about it yesterday," said Chelsea Laliberte Barnes, of the Illinois Harm Reduction and Recovery Coalition. "It's shameful."
Lawmakers applauded federal efforts to crack down on one of the most common opioids, illegal fentanyl. About 97% of fentanyl comes from China, and it kills an average of 10 people in Illinois per day.
Cook County recorded a record number of overdose deaths in 2022, more than 1,800 overdoses, with 90% of them linked to fentanyl. The victims ranged in age from a 93-year-old to an 8-month-old.
To help combat the crisis, the Cook County Department of Health aims to add more vending machines that distribute Narcan, a drug used to reverse opioid overdoses.